A hand balancer from Russia, Nikita Sukhanov, recently released a new video full of powerful balancing moves on hand balancing stands performed in a controlled manner. My favorite parts are at 0:43 and 2:55.
Apart from great strength and coordination, these and similar hand-balancing moves require a great deal of flexibility. If you’d like to increase ranges of motion, decrease pain and become MUCH more flexible, make sure to check out GMB Focused Flexibility.
Today’s video comes from my friends the Tapp Brothers and it’s all about improving your flow and creativity in parkour.
The point of this and similar drills is to get used to natural movements so you don’t have to think much when you actually end up in a high stress situation; and avoid possible injuries at the same time. Aside from that, you’ll boost your creativity, agility and coordination if you perform the drill on a regular basis.
If you’re just getting started with parkour, the Tapp Brothers will teach you this and many other crucial things in their Parkour Crash Course.
The human flag is usually performed on a pole or some sturdy structure and it’s a tough move even for those in great shape. But when you try to do it with a partner instead of a pole, it adds whole another level of difficulty. Or two.
In this video Al Kavadlo and his brother Danny gave it a try. Al went for Danny’s ankle and forearm for support and he actually managed to hold it for several seconds in this position. It certainly requires an immense amount of strength, coordination and balance to perform such a feat.
“How to do a one hand hand-stand? I can do a two handed hand-stand on the wall(to keep balance) but when I lift one hand away I fall, any tips?”
Sisi
The first time I did a one handed handstand against the wall I used a corner where to walls meet. This makes it easier to balance as you can press into the sides.
The one hand handstand even with a wall takes a strong core plus coordination. Make it easier by spreading the legs out wide. Make it harder by keeping them together.
And another tip is to not lift your hand instantly off of the ground. Instead as you shift more and more of your weight onto the one hand start using the other less.
So there you have three tips on doing the one hand handstand against the wall.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
The past couple days have been crazy. I was amazed at the response to the Tumbling Course. Within a few minutes of putting the page up orders were coming in.
The good news is if you’ve bought your copy of the Tumbling Course before today, it is in the mail and on its way.
For those of you who’ve ordered, could you do me a favor and send me a email when it does arrive, with your initial impressions? Thanks!
There are quite a few left so if you’ve been waiting now’s the time to act. When I was looking over the course I couldn’t help but to think what a good deal it is.
In order to actually show you I’ve added a picture of all that you’ll get to the Tumbling Course page, but you can see it right here.
And that doesn’t even include the bonus tele-seminar. Right now, you have 5 days left to get it at $49.
Those that have ordered will understand the following. Here is a list of the benefits of tumbling, an excerpt from Loken and Willoughby’s ‘Complete Book of Gymnastics’.
The specific values of tumbling activities are:
1. Tumbling develops coordination and timing.
2. Tumbling develops agility and flexibility because of the nature of the movements involved in the activity, Much bending, tucking, and twisting is required to perform the stunts well.
3. Because of the running and springing necessary in tumbling activities, strength is developed in the legs. This is somewhat unique in that most other gymnastic activities tend to neglect the legs.
4.Courage and determination are developed in some of the more daring and difficult tumbling stunts. More advanced stunts involve movements performed with the body completely in the air.
5. Learning to control the body in basic tumbling skills has great carryover to the other sports.
6. The art of falling correctly, as learned in tumbling, is of great importance in many sports as well as normal daily activities. A relaxed rolling fall very often prevents or reduces injury and enable a person to regain his feet quickly after a fall.
7. Because tumbling is a natural activity, it is self-motivating and provides a great deal of fun and enjoyment for its participants.
Very well said, and succinctly too. As complete as list as there could be. If you want to get started quickly you know where to go, https://lostartofhandbalancing.com/tumbling.html
Good Luck and Good Tumbling,
Logan Christopher
P.S. I’ll be sharing with you some old hand balancing pictures this weekend that you haven’t seen before.
Was reading this book on hand dynamics just last night. It talks about some crazy stuff such as a third of our motor brain controlling just the hands. And by the fact that we have hands we are able to manipulate tools and thus build an advanced civilization unlike any other animal.
When you think about it the hands are very amazing instruments. There are so many different ways you can move them around that its mind boggling. They can create art, play musical instruments, hold large weights, massage another person, and much more.
Hand balancing doesn’t just take strength. That’s an obvious thing to anyone who has ever tried a handstand. Though strength is necessary which is why Professor Orlick outlines more than a dozen exercises in his work for this purpose.
In order to balance you need sensitivity. Being able to detect minor movements in your body and weight distribution and correct them by manipulating your fingers and wrists.
There are many exercises in this book for flexibility, coordination and more which I may cover at a different time. But now I wanted to leave you with a final thought.
Sometimes you need to concentrate on the big picture. Other times you need to look at the very small details.
The next time you are inverted give some added thought to the slightest movements in your hands. It might help you out.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
Let’s face it, you will NEVER become an excellent hand balancer or acrobat without having incredibly strong abs. Powerful statement but true.
Have you neglected training this area with the same kind of force you train the rest of your body? I know I did for a long time but that has changed.
One of the presenters at a seminar I attended last year led us through a long series of abdominal exercises. Many of which I had never done or heard of before.
These exercises were for the abs but they used the whole body. And after doing a few of them I could feel it everywhere.
You will be teaching your body how to act as one unit. Does this sound familiar? It should because that’s exactly what you need do pull off any hand balancing stunt.
It turns out the guy teaching us, Ed Baran, had started gymnastics at the age of 35. In order to get better at hand balancing and tumbling he was told he needed to strengthen his abs. These are the exercises he used and some he developed along the way.
And now he can do incredible things like hold an awesome v-sit. That’s a long way from not being able to hold a regular handstand against a wall.
If you want to build gymnastic abs like this then you need to check out the following – Gymnastic Abs
I only wish my gymnastics class had taught me these moves. During the conditioning I was often left wondering why are they doing crunches?
I’m sorry but no matter how many crunches you do you will not build the strength, flexibility and coordination you need for hand balancing or real gymnast strength.
What we learned at the seminar was just a sneak peak of what he was planning on releasing. He has an entire course available now. Unfortunately it took me seeing the course to remember what I had learned and put everything back into action.
No matter what your abilities are now there are progressions to take you from the beginning to advanced levels in moves like hollow position rocks, l-sits, leg raises, compressions and more.
In just a couple weeks of following these exercises the way he laid out I have seen phenomenal benefits. I highly recommend it. Go find out more details – Gymnastic Abs.
Good Luck and Good Ab Training,
Logan Christopher
P.S. That picture of Ed holding a v-sit was enough incentive for me to interview him for the Hand Balancing Mastery Course. Follow his step-by-step progressions and you too can be pulling this one off – Gymnastic Abs
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